A season's worth of objective Michigan basketball fandom on Facebook

In the buildup to Michigan's Final Four matchup with Syracuse yesterday, I thought I'd take a look back at a long journey -- no, not for the Wolverines, but for me, the objective fans, as I've followed, and cheered, and complained about this team.

It's been an incredible season, a very bumpy ride, but never once have I thought, This isn't worth pouring all of my sports fandom into.

That's why probably more than 50 percent of my Facebook posts have annoyed the hell out of non-Michigan basketball fans since October. Sorry, folks. If you're one of those people, don't read this.

Here they are. Every single one of my Facebook statuses about Michigan basketball since Oct. 1.

Predicting the NCAA Tournament: Game by Game

Lately, my friends have been asking, "Are you ready for the Madness?" Are you excited?

Am I? I feel like I've experienced Madness (if not in March) the past two months. While this college basketball season has rightfully been criticized for a continued decrease in scoring (see: Georgetown 37, Tennessee 36 ... and many other sub-50s games), great rivalries gone dormant (thanks, Missouri for ditching the Big 12), and continued reshuffling of schools to new conferences (thanks, football), it's also been wildly exciting.

Consider these 26 buzzer-beaters that occurred. Consider just the Big Ten, the nation's best conference, that produced a dozen instant classics, with the regular-season championship race coming down to the very last second (ugh, Michigan...). And consider the emergence of schools in the Mountain West and Atlantic 10, even if the casual fan doesn't know the difference between a Billiken and a Lobo.

So madness? It's not starting. It's continuing. 

Which makes this bracket extremely difficult to predict. Just a few of the questions that are boggling my mind as we prepare for play-in Tuesday:

1) How good is the Pac-12? The Selection Committee quacked in the face of Oregon, giving the conference tournament champion a 12 seed. But how good, really, are the Ducks? Or UCLA? Or Cal? They all battled down to the wire for the conference championship, but did close to nothing outside of the league.

2) How good is the Mountain West? New Mexico has the second best RPI in the country, but that was helped by playing Division II schools that don't lower a school's rating. I like the Lobos, but are they better than Ohio State, which survived the grind of the Big Ten?

Those are just a couple of the difficult questions to answer heading into the Dance. All right, I'll stop blabbering. Here are my picks. As always, copy and paste with caution.

PLAY-IN ROUND

(16) North Carolina A&T def. (16) Liberty: The magical run ends for sub-.500 Liberty.

(11) St. Mary's def. (11) MTSU: Two words: Matthew Deleevedova .

(16) LIU Brooklyn def. (16) James Madison: Life is hard enough as a 16 seed, but the Dukes' leading scorer celebrated a bit too hard after winning the CAA.

(13) Boise State def. (13) La Salle: Mountain West > Atlantic 10.

MIDWEST

2ND ROUND

(1) Louisville def. (16) North Carolina A&T: Yeah, 40-point win.

(8) Colorado State def. (9) Missouri: Colorado State is big and rebounds well. Missouri is your typical underachiever. 

(12) Oregon def. (5) Oklahoma State: Will any team in the field come out with more to prove than the Ducks? I think not.

(4) St. Louis def. (13) New Mexico State: Not a contest. The WAC is whack. 

(6) Memphis def. (11) St. Mary's: Memphis doesn't make free throws or play much defense. That shouldn't matter against a very mediocre St. Mary's squad.

(3) Michigan State def. (14) Valpo: Valpo is the most experienced team in the field, but they're facing perhaps the best tournament coach in his home state. Not happening.

(7) Creighton def. (10) Cincinnati: Was impressed with how Creighton's players not named McDermott responded in the MVC championship game.

(2) Duke def. (15) Albany: Who doesn't love the Great Danes? Not Duke on this night, with memories of Lehigh in Coach K's head.

3RD ROUND

(1) Louisville def. (8) Colorado State: Colton Iverson, meet Gorgui Dieng. He will make life very difficult for you down low.

(4) St. Louis def. (12) Oregon: The Ducks haven't faced anyone as physical and well-balanced as the Billikens in the Pac-12. 

(3) Michigan State def. (6) Memphis: Not much of a contest, as Spartans' in-your-face defense rattles Tigers.

(2) Duke def. (7) Creighton: Blue Jays might score with Duke for a half, but it's a 40-minute game, folks.

SWEET 16

(1) Louisville def. (4) St. Louis: This will be a grinder for the Cardinals, but their experienced backcourt of Smith and Siva will be the difference.

(2) Duke def. (3) Michigan State: So tough to predict. I just trust Duke a tiny bit more in late-game situations. Spartans have been shaky late in losses to OSU, Indiana and Michigan.

ELITE 8

(1) Louisville def. (2) Duke: This is where Duke's reliance on the 3 will cost them, and tired legs plus Seth Curry and his injury on just a day's rest won't help. Cardinals back to the Final Four.

WEST

SECOND ROUND

(1) Gonzaga def. (16) Southern: This is the game where East Coast fans will see the Zags and remark, 'Oh, damn, they're really good.'

(8) Pitt def. (9) Wichita State: The Shockers haven't seen anything close to Pitt's defense in the MVC.

(5) Wisconsin def. (12) Mississippi: Can't wait for this game! The Badgers' methodical, plodding attack against Marshall 'just chuck it up' Henderson and his swag. 

(4) Kansas State def. (13) Boise State: I wouldn't be surprised if the Broncos pulled off this upset, but the Wildcats play solid defense and are playing in Kansas City.

(6) Arizona def. (11) Belmont: I've always picked Belmont, but the Bruins have let me down with five straight losses in the Dance. Can't take 'em again until they win one. Otherwise, I might...

(3) New Mexico def. (14) Harvard: If you haven't seen Tony Snell play, you're missing out. Dude runs around screens as hard as Richard Hamilton. 

(10) Iowa State def. (7) Notre Dame: Normally I don't pick teams so reliant on the 3-pointer, but here's a hunch that the Cyclones get hot for one game. 

(2) Ohio State def. (15) Iona: Momo Jones ain't gonna have a mojo facing Aaron Craft and Shannon Scott.

3RD ROUND

(1) Gonzaga def. (8) Pitt: You might think that the Big East's Pitt (at least for this tournament still) will outmuscle the Zags. Clearly, you haven't met Kelly Olynyk and Elias Harris. 

(5) Wisconsin def. (4) Kansas State: Thought you were done with ugly Big Ten games? Think again. This game (a rematch of the 2011 game when their seeds were switched) will have the same result — but lower scoring.

(3) New Mexico def. (6) Arizona: Mountain West > Pac-12. Tony Snell > anyone on 'Zona.

(2) Ohio State def. (10) Iowa State: Cyclones guards will struggle mightily against Buckeyes' pressure defense.

SWEET 16

(1) Gonzaga def. (5) Wisconsin: Badgers will push the 'Zags to the brink, but Gonzaga's balance will prove the difference as Wisconsin can't just focus on perimeter shooters. 

(2) Ohio State def. (3) New Mexico: The Lobos' most similar opponent to the Buckeyes was St. Louis, which routed them 60-46. That was almost three months ago, but I'm predicting a similar result.

ELITE 8

(2) Ohio State def. (1) Gonzaga: I can't go against a team that's coming off wins at Indiana and over Michigan State and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes are rolling, their guards will give the 'Zags fits, and if LaQuinton Ross keeps getting better, he'll be a (large) force in the lane. 

SOUTH

SECOND ROUND

(1) Kansas def. (16) Western Kentucky: Think the Jayhawks remember last year's UNC Asheville scare? Yeah, this will be a rout.

(8) North Carolina def. (9) Villanova: Tar Heels are so explosive and playing with great confidence, I'll take them to shoot their way past up-and-down 'Nova.

(5) VCU def. (12) Akron: Playing VCU without your starting point guard? Death trap.

(4) Michigan def. (13) South Dakota State: In high-scoring game, Jackrabbits (fourth-worst defensively in Field of 68) will have no answer for Trey Burke.

(11) Minnesota def. (6) UCLA: Welcome to the game of teams I don't like. I'll make a guess that the Gophers play more like the team that beat Indiana than the one that couldn't manage 50 vs. Illinois.

(3) Florida def. (14) Northwestern State: The Gators are 0-6 in games decided by single digits. This won't be one of those games.

(7) San Diego State def. (10) Oklahoma: Very interesting matchup as Lon Kruger takes on his former MWC opponent. I'll bank on SDSU's upperclassman backcourt and two years of tourney experience.

(2) Georgetown def. (15) Florida Gulf Coast: FGCU is in just its second year of Division I play. The Hoyas have been around while.

THIRD ROUND

(1) Kansas def. (8) North Carolina: Oh, baby! Most hyped matchup of this round! Roy vs. his old school! CBS will love this one, but Roy won't enjoy his 3-point shooters going cold from deep.

(12) VCU def. (4) Michigan: I love my Wolverines, but outside of Burke, their ballhandling is shaky and they'll struggle with just a day to prepare for VCU's havoc 2-2-1 press. 

(3) Florida def. (11) Minnesota: Florida is a much more balanced, more disciplined version of the Gophers. 

(2) Georgetown def. (7) San Diego State: Hoyas' stifling man-to-man and matchup 2-3 zone will overwhelm the Aztecs in Philly.

SWEET 16

(1) Kansas def. (12) VCU: The tournament of learning lessons continues for the Jayhawks, who — with time to prepare — will break the VCU pressure with ease, score often in transition, and avenge that 2011 Elite Eight loss.

(2) Georgetown def. (3) Florida: The Hoyas are more than a one-man outfit, and I find it impossible to believe they'll be blown out, which means a close game. In that scenario, I'll take Otto Porter any day over Florida's "who gets the ball?" approach.

ELITE 8

(1) Kansas def. (2) Georgetown: The Jayhawks' combo of Travis Releford and Perry Ellis will stymie Porter, and the Hoyas lack an answer for Jeff Withey in the post.

EAST

SECOND ROUND

(1) Indiana def. (16) Long Island: The Blackbirds are back in the Dance for the third consecutive year and will score against Indiana. Just not quite as much as the Hoosiers.

(8) N.C. State def. (9) Temple: I've been on the Wolfpack's bandwagon all year long. I'm not jumping off now, even despite their inexplicable no-show performances.

(5) UNLV def. (12) Cal: In an unavoidable quirk in the bracket, these teams that played in the regular season are back at it on Thursday. UNLV won at Cal, barely (76-75), the first time. I'll take the Rebels again even in San Jose.

(4) Syracuse def. (13) Montana: I really want to pick this upset, but the Grizzlies are without their leading scorer. The 'Cuse survive — barely.

(6) Butler def. (11) Bucknell. I've seen Bucknell in person, and the Bison nearly lost at woeful American. Brad Stevens will devise a way to limit the touches for All-American candidate Mike Muscala. 

(14) Davidson def. (3) Marquette: The over-seeded Golden Eagles are in for a battle against an upperclassmen-dominated, well-coached Davidson squad that's determined to have a better showing than last year.

(10) Colorado def. (7) Illinois: The Buffs have the big guards to defend Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson, and Illinois' reliance on the 3-pointer will cost 'em.

(2) Miami def. (15) Pacific: All Jim Larranaga has to do to motivate his team for this one? Mention "Florida Gulf Coast."

THIRD ROUND

(1) Indiana def. (8) N.C. State: The Wolfpack are as talented as the Hoosiers, if not as deep, but Richard Howell's offensive game doesn't match that of his opponent Cody Zeller. Indiana outlasts 'Pack.

(5) UNLV def. (4) Syracuse: OK, Syracuse, time to call it a tournament. Lack of leadership dooms Orange against balanced Rebels.

(6) Butler def. (14) Davidson: Do I love this Butler team? Nope. But when it comes to Brad Stevens, I ain't doubting them in the Dance.

(2) Miami def. (10 Colorado: The Buffs may have big guards, but no one who can keep up with Shane Larkin and his playmaking ability.

SWEET 16

(1) Indiana def. (5) UNLV: After the Big Ten grind the Hoosiers went through, this one will be a breeze. 

(2) Miami def. (6) Butler: How awesome is this? Larranaga, coach of that memorable George Mason outfit, against the best mid-major guy in the land! Unfortunately for Stevens, he doesn't have Kenny Kadji, Julian Gamble, Durand Scott and, oh, Larkin at his disposal. 

ELITE 8

(1) Indiana def. (2) Miami: This one's a toss-up, really, but the difference for me is consistency — the Hoosiers have been offensively efficient all season and have great inside-outside balance. Miami, on the other hand, has gone through really bad shooting nights and doesn't rebound as well. IU by a hair.

FINAL FOUR

(1) Louisville def. (2) Ohio State: How fun will this be for those millions of defensive enthusiasts out there?? Yes, this could be uglier than a bad Russ Smith shooting game. But in the end, Louisville's depth (nine players log at least 11.2 mpg) will be the difference.

(1) Kansas def. (1) Indiana: It doesn't get much more storied than this matchup, which will be a bit more aesthetic than the other semifinal. This has all the elements of a great game. The big-man matchup: Zeller vs. Withey. The high-flyers (Oladipo vs. McLemore). And more. But for me, this comes down to Kansas have the quick wings to defend Indiana's smaller guards. And senior experience. The Jayhawks return to the national title game.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

(1) Louisville def. (1) Kansas, 68-62: I've been high on Louisville for over a month, when close to no one was talking about the Cardinals. Outside of a three-game hiccup (sound familiar, Jayhawks?), the Cardinals have been the most consistently good team all season in college basketball. And unlike a team such as Indiana, they stay in every game by playing pestering defense, including the press. This will be a defensive game, with the difference being Louisville's ability to turn over Kansas' sometimes questionable guards. Also, we know that Russ Smith and Peyton Siva will have the ball in their hands at crunch time. I'm not as confident in Kansas freshman McLemore.

Let the madness, um, continue!

Trey Burke saves the night (and a chance at the championship)

Early in the second half at Mackey Arena Wednesday night, it was happening again. As if overtaken by some superior power, Michigan's basketball players were failing to execute the simplest hand-eye coordination plays most kids have down by age 3.

They were losing it, falling apart, on their way to another debilitating road loss, this one, finally, to extinguish their barely flickering Big Ten title hopes. 

Trey Burke intercepted a Purdue pass on a Boilermakers fast break but then, inexplicably, lost the ball as he turned to head upcourt. A Purdue player picked it up, made a layup, and was fouled. 

Disaster. 

Jordan Morgan and Nik Stauskas went up for a rebound against no Purdue defenders, and somehow the ball — oh, that tricky sphere! — eluded them and bounced to a Boilermaker. 

The Wolverines were slow, as if in a trance. 

They had already blown a double-digit lead for the third consecutive game. And they seemed well on their way to faltering against another lowly Big Ten opponent and losing their fifth consecutive game on the road, with no wins away from the friendly confines of Crisler Center since late January.

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Burke was part of the problem. His shot was off. He was getting completely outplayed by the Boilermakers' Terone Johnson, who had the performance of his lifetime. 

Apparently, Terone and his bro Ronnie started talking a little trash to Burke. That helped wake him up, I'm sure. But maybe also the fact the his team desperately needed him. After his clutch performance in Michigan's 58-57 victory Sunday over Michigan State, Burke talked about how he had worked at taking on that leadership role and inspiring his teammates.

On Wednesday, Burke had to start a comeback from 12 points down solely by himself. His young teammates looked lost and couldn't grab a loose ball if their scholarships depended on it. 

Burke took over.

First, he hit a contested 3-pointer from the top of the key with 11 minutes, 7 seconds left to cut the deficit to 52-43. On the next possession, he drained a beautiful step-back jumper from the left baseline. 

Burke's teammates were uplifted. Suddenly, the margin didn't seem such a burden. Nik "bandaid" Stauskas — a few days removed from throwing up during halftime of the MSU game after a nasty, unintentional elbow from the Spartans' Branden Dawson — drained a huge 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 54-48.

From there, Burke scored nine of Michigan's next 11 points to finally regain the lead on a jumper with 5:20 left. 

The sophomore point guard put his team on his back and carried them from the brink of tremendous disappointment. Name me five players in the country who could have done that. You'll probably fail. 

Trey Burke is the National Player of the Year. At the beginning of the year, when Michigan was trampling mediocre opponents, the cast around him looked a little better than they actually are — and it's been exposed playing in the country's toughest conference. Burke, though, has been as good as  advertised since Day 1 of practice. 

And like any great player, his teammates feed off him. On three of four possessions as Michigan hung to its reclaimed lead, Stauskas looked like the aggressive, swagger-showing player he was in November, December and January — drilling a contested 3-pointer from the left wing and then making consecutive strong drives to the basket, absorbing the contact and making the free throws.

Burke reinvigorated the freshman, like any great leader would do, then — legs still seemingly fresh — helped ice the game by shooting 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 57 seconds, with the only miss coming after his own coach, John Beilein, iced him to set up the defense!

Michigan, overall, is far from a great team. They're probably not a Final Four team. All you had to do was watch Purdue's final possession, when the Boilermakes were down 78-75 and the Wolverines' Jordan Morgan and Glenn Robinson Jr. unbelievably miscommunicated and left Ronnie Johnson by himself at the top of the key.

Thankfully, Ronnie had no intention of taking a wide-open 3 and instead threw a bullet pass to his red-hot brother Terone, who tried to shoot before he had the ball. 

Burke put the game out of reach with two free throws, and gives Michigan a chance to claim a share of the Big Ten championship Sunday against Indiana at home, where the Wolverines typically have better control of their bodies. '

Let's be thankful for that.

And Burke — wherever he's playing. 

Living vicariously through Michigan basketball

As I sat in Row J of Section 117 at Verizon Center Wednesday night — a $50 seat I had snatched for the price of a beer a month earlier when the Wizards were garbage — I should have been enjoying myself. 

My hometown Detroit Pistons were putting on a clinic of domination I hadn't seen since the six-straight-years-in-the-Eastern-Conference-Finals group that we used to take for granted (oh, how we'd take a simple playoff berth now). 

Brandon Knight looked like an All-Star, absolutely owning former No. 1 pick John Wall, who couldn't hang onto the ball much less make a J. Greg Monroe, back in his college city, was putting on a show for Hoya Nation, knocking down 18-footer after 18-footer from behind the right elbow. 

The Pistons snatched the lead from the Wizards in the third quarter on a Monroe jumper, 66-64. A few minutes later, it was 75-64. And when Knight drilled a 25-footer, it was 78-64 and Washington fans were booing the home team. 

Amazing, right? I should have been flaunting my ugly teal Joe D jersey, right? I mean, we only get to see the Pistons down here twice a year.

Except that I didn't care about the game. Not one bit. 

In fact, I was hardly even watching. 

Instead, my eyes were glued to my phone, witnessing via ESPN Gamecast, Twitter and texts from my man Tick the horror story taking place some 206 miles away in State College, Pa.

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Growing up —and, to a certain extent, to this day — my Dad always said something that made sense to me about missing games in which our rooting interest (Detroit Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, etc.) would likely lose and/or ended up losing.

"You didn't want to see that anyway."

"And if they win," he'd say about playoff elimination games, "then there will be another one to watch."

It clicked for me. When the Pistons were playing the Heat in the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals, I didn't have a problem going to the Tigers game the night of Game 6 — with Miami up 3-2 — and listening on my walkman (yes, walkman!). Even though 'Sheed and the boys stunk it up and were eliminated, at least I got to take in a competitive Tigers game (albeit, a 3-2 L to the Red Sox). 

I could live with missing the Pistons' final game of the year. In fact, I was happy I didn't see the 95-78 beatdown. It made the end of a season sting less. 

And so for the past several years — especially as I became a sports journalist and my subjectivity turned to objectivity — I've gotten excited about my hometown Wolverines' and the Tigers' best teams, but never to a point of being extremely disappointed with a loss, never to a point where I've said, "I can't miss a game."

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Enter Michigan basketball. Enter this 2012-13 season.

But let me rewind first. Let me explain why Michigan basketball means more to me than any other team. 

The Michigan basketball program was given up on. It became an afterthought. By the year 2000, a program that won a national championship just 11 years prior and made back-to-back championship game appearances a mere seven years before was in the dumps and in the midst of paying heavily for sanctions levied upon it by the NCAA for payments from a booster to a cadre of super talents from the Detroit area.

You know the story. That's not what this is about.

This is about latching onto a team, and a program, and watching it be built back up slowly and wobbly. 

Each year, I paid a little more attention. First there was the Tommy Amaker era, during which he cleaned up the program, stopped the recruitment of poor-character kids (that was mostly a Brian Ellerbe thing), and got the Wolverines on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament a few times. 

On March 3, 2007, during spring break of my senior year at Albion College, I sat at home in Ann Arbor and watched agonizingly as the Wolverines blew a six-point lead with 4 minutes remaining against No. 1 Ohio State in a game that would have sent them to the NCAA Tournament. 

Instead, they missed the Dance for the ninth consecutive year, the team's four seniors finished their careers without a tournament game, and Amaker — after six years — was given the axe.

Coming so close only made me yearn even more for the team to reach the tournament. There's something incredible about failure that can tighten one's attachment to a team (just ask Cleveland fans).

But even more than that, I took satisfaction in being part of a small group of loyalists. Through the Amaker years and then, through the early years of the John Beilein era (really, until the last two years), Michigan basketball remained an afterthought and Crisler Arena a library. 

In Ann Arbor, the talk was "football, football, football, Zingerman's, football" — all while Beilein slowly built from a weak foundation (his first team was 10-22).

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Which brings me back to the present. Or to last night. 

As I sat in my seat at Verizon Center staring at my phone and only occasionally glancing at the spectacle in front of me, I didn't just hate that the Wolverines were blowing a 15-point lead in the final 10 minutes, 39 seconds against an 0-14 Big Ten team when the conference championship was on the line.

I hated that I was missing the game. 

Yes, I couldn't stand the fact that I wasn't seated in front of a TV watching Michigan's defense surrender 33 points in the final 10 minutes against the Big Ten's worst offense. 

As I thought about this — and as Penn State eventually claimed the lead and the game — I came to a realization:

For the first time since I can remember, I'm living vicariously through a team. As sad as this sounds for a 29-year-old, the Michigan basketball team has the ability to dictate my mood on a given night or afternoon. 

I have no recollection of another team — not Michigan football, not even the Pistons, although that Robert Horry 3 in the 2005 Finals was devastating — having this effect on me, especially since I became a journalist. 

I still view the team through an objective lens. I'm no 'homer.' So, no, I'm not sore about the officiating last night and, no, the loss wasn't solely a Michigan collapse. From what I've read and seen, Penn State played its best game of the season.

But that didn't improve my mood. And neither did a Pistons victory over the Wizards.

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Because of my attachment to this team, to this program, I hate missing a minute of a game. I selfishly want to take it all in, want to absorb every moment of Trey Burke greatness,  analyze every hard hedge by Jordan Morgan, and listen to every Bacari Alexander pregame pep talk.

That's why following the debacle in State College through texts and Twitter wasn't sufficient — 140 characters at a time couldn't explain for me why Penn State was making every shot and Michigan suffered its longest offensive dry spell of the season. 

By the fourth quarter of the NBA game, the college game was in the books. This left me pondering for 40 minutes what had gone wrong. If I had seen the game, at least I could have replayed in my head those key plays that changed the momentum, those close charge-block calls, Michigan's offensive executive down the stretch. Numbers did me no justice. 

"Serves me right for missing the game..." I lamely wrote on Facebook. 

When the Pistons survived a furious last-minute Trevor Ariza rally, I was happy that at least one home team got a W on the night. But there was no comparison, and it had nothing to do with Michigan playing for a lot more. I'm simply much more attached to the Wolverines. And just the Wolverines. 

Every other hometown team I enjoy rooting for and following, especially during playoff time. But the only sports team I live vicariously through is Michigan basketball.

And that makes evenings like Wednesday difficult to stomach. 

(Final) Four tournament concerns for the Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan basketball team's main goal, right now, is to win the regular-season Big Ten championship — and, within that, to focus solely on the one game ahead of them. This, of course, is with good reason. Sleepwalk into a game in the country's toughest league this year, you might not survive it. That's how brutal this league is.

But come mid-March, once the Wolverines have taken on Indiana in their regular-season finale — and once, quite possibly, they've celebrated a second consecutive title — the focus will shift to the tournaments.

First, the Big Ten version. Then, the Big Dance.

And, ultimately, even though it's unfair — even though Michigan might win 30 games and a conference championship — the Wolverines' season will mostly be judged by fans, the national media, and haters on their NCAA Tournament run (or lack thereof).

Which brings me to the point of this column. Michigan stands at 21-2 overall and 8-2 in the league with eight games remaining. That gives coach John Beilein and his staff ample time to work out these main issues that could end up blocking the Wolverines' return, gasp, to the school's first Final Four since, well, the stricken-from-the-record-books Fab Five trips:

1. Freshmen Fatigue: Anyone who watched the Wolverines escape against Ohio State last night noticed a somewhat slow, not-always-alert Glenn Robinson III. Simply put, the freshman is tired! The 6-foot-6, 210-pound frosh is playing undsersized at the power forward position, having to battle the likes of DeShaun Thomas (6-7, 225) and bigger guys night in and night out. He's averaging 36.1 minutes per game — tied for the team lead with Trey Burke — during league play. Nick Stauskas is also averaging 33.5 minutes per game, although not taking as much of a beating. Robinson will be close to useless come mid-March — and Stauskas' shots will likely start falling short — unless Beilein and his staff begin monitoring his minutes and going to more two-post lineups. Speaking of:

2. Jordan Morgan's ankle: The redshirt junior and the rock of the Wolverines' interior defense and rebounding has played a mere 6 minutes the last two games since going down against Illinois. Beilein hasn't said much about his ankle, but Morgan clearly is still laboring. Michigan needs Morgan back to playing 20-30 minutes a game so that A) Robinson can get some rest, as well as Mitch McGary, who played a season-high 29 minutes against the Buckeyes; and B) The Wolverines sure up their defensive rebounding. McGary is playing better and better with each game, but the freshman overcommits on drives, often leaving weakside offensive rebounding opportunities aplenty (think Zeller, Cody). Michigan needs Morgan for March, so Beilein can rotate in and out the three-headed Morgan/McGary/Jon Horford monster while using Robinson primarily when he's fresh and has a good matchup. Michigan likely won't tinker much with a two-post lineup until Morgan is healthy.

3. Trey Burke overdribbling: Burke was better this time around against the ball-hawking Aaron Craft, but there was still that last possession of regulation. Beilein said afterward that he wanted Burke to set up a screen-and-roll with Robinson to get a favorable matchup "but we settled there a little bit." Burke knows he's really good. He also knows — as much as he loves his teammates — that he'll be in the NBA next season where one-on-one play is king. Because, possibly, of this knowledge, he can get into a bad habit — especially against great defenders like Craft — of overdribbling outside the 3-point line instead of running the offense. This makes his teammates stagnant and Michigan one-dimensional. It often results in Burke taking a fadeaway jumper, a shot he has hit on numerous occasions but not at a high percentage. Michigan needs the Burke that realizes how good his teammates are, feeds the ball to the wings — letting Tim Hardaway Jr. catch fire like he did in the second half last night — and doesn't settle. Will Burke, the national player of the year frontrunner, be fully aware in March of what's best for the team?

4. Defense: You couldn't watch the second half last night and not be concerned about the Wolverines' defense. Ohio State played well, but Michigan helped the Buckeyes looks like a much more efficient offensive machine than they've been all season. Ohio State scored a near-perfect 1.46 points per possession in the final 20 minutes before overtime. Michigan, as Beilein admitted afterward, was slow on defensive assignments, completely missed other assignments, and didn't grab rebounds when needed. And this was against a middle-of-the-road offensive team. A disciplined, very good shooting team (think Butler) would shred what the Wolverines are presenting on that end of the court right now. Thankfully, defense is an area that just needs coaching. Yes, Stauskas is slow on the perimeter. But so was Stu Douglass, who learned how to position himself to succeed. Michigan can — and needs to — get better, much better, at defense. If the Wolverines don't improve, they'll likely fall short of their March goals.